AKSG EXCO Ends Retreat with Determination to Better Their Output

…as Governor announces 31 projects for LGAs

The members of the State Executive Council of Akwa Ibom State Government have ended their Four-day retreat with a joint resolve to better their output in the delivery of service to the people of Akwa Ibom State.

The retreat with the theme, ‘ARISE Agenda: Mapping the Future’ which was held at Eko Hotel, Lagos was coordinated by Mrs Mfon Usoro in partnership with Financial Derivatives Company Limited. Eminent resource persons like Mr. Udom Emmanuel, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, Prof. Oluwole Ajai, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, Dr. Clement Ignanugo, Anhad Narula, Mrs Obehi Aire Okafor among others, facilitated knowledge-sharing sessions, where the economic outlook of the nation and state were analyzed and targets set for the state government generally and specific MDAs.

The facilitators and participants agreed that the general economic target of the state government will be to grow at least 3 percent above the National GDP and to significantly increase revenue by increasing Internally Generated Revenue, Public-Private Partnerships, and adopting innovative infrastructure funding alternatives.

All the Ministries and other units of Government critical to the ARISE Agenda made presentations highlighting the needs, execution timelines, resources required and sustainability plan on projects under their watch. 

These presentations were subjected to both peer review and subject matter experts” scrutiny before being accepted.

The Governor, Pastor Umo Eno who participated in all the sessions, appreciated the facilitators for their excellent delivery of the retreat, also charged the members of the Executive Council and other appointees to ensure strict adherence to the timelines attached to each of the projects, as they will be assessed by those indices. 

He appreciated the immediate past Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel for accepting to deliver the keynote address at the retreat and for his continuous selfless service to the state, despite having left office. He reiterated that the holistic goal of the ARISE Agenda is the complete transformation of Akwa Ibom State from a civil service state to an industrial hub and investors’ haven. He announced the 31 projects that stakeholders of the various Local Government Areas had sent in, under the administration’s one project per LGA drive. He assured that the projects will soon commence as resources for their implementation are available.

Governor Eno further expressed optimism that the entire state will feel the positive impact of the projects and his administration generally.

In attendance at the meeting, apart from Members of the State Executive Council, were: Chairman Internal Revenue Service, select Permanent Secretaries, Select Aides of the Governor, State Chairmen of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ ) and other strategic stakeholders.